Saudi Arabia rejects transfer of U.S. embassy to Jerusalem: state TV

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s council of ministers on Tuesday reaffirmed the kingdom’s rejection of Washington’s decision to move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, state media said, a day after the mission’s opening.

“This step represents a significant bias against the historical, permanent rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem,” the report said.

At least 58 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,000 people wounded in protests at the border fence between the Gaza Stripand Israel, according to Palestinian officials, on the same day the US fulfiled its controversial promise to move its embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem.

Thousands of demonstrators set fire to tyres on Monday, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air to deter Israeli snipers. The Israeli military said the protests were being used as cover for attacks on soldiers.

It marked the deadliest single day of protests in a weeks-long campaign from Hamas in the run up to the US embassy move and the Nakba, or ‘Catastrophe’, on Tuesday – celebrated in Israel as the country’s 70th birthday.